The Florida Panthers inked defenseman Gustav Forsling to a maximum-term, eight-year extension, general manager Bill Zito confirmed Thursday, according to team content manager Jameson Olive.

The new pact carries an average annual value of $5.75 million, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Forsling, whose current cap hit is $2,666,667, is the Panthers' top blue-liner. He has blossomed since Florida nabbed him off the waiver wire from the Carolina Hurricanes in January 2021.

The 27-year-old doesn't play as much as second-pairing anchor Brandon Montour - who leads the team in average ice time by about a minute and a half over Forsling - but the Swede has been the Cats' most productive rearguard in 2023-24.

Forsling entered Thursday leading the squad in assists (22) and points (31) through 62 games while logging 21:47 of ice time per contest. His underlying numbers have been tremendous as well.

The Panthers also extended forward Jonah Gadjovich for two years Thursday. His new deal will carry a $775,000 cap hit, per Friedman.

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The Noah Hanifin saga is officially over.

The Calgary Flames sent the defenseman to the Vegas Golden Knights late Wednesday in a three-way trade looping in the Philadelphia Flyers.

Here are the high-level details:

The Flyers joined the party solely to retain a chunk of Hanifin's salary. Teams must send an asset back in retention trades, hence Vorobyov's inclusion. He's a 27-year-old Russian center currently playing in the KHL.

With the Flames also retaining, Hanifin, a pending unrestricted free agent, arrives in Vegas with a cap hit of $1.24 million (down from $4.95 million).

Both draft picks heading to Calgary have conditions attached. If the 2025 first is traded again this week, or if the pick's in the top 10, the Flames instead receive the Golden Knights' 2026 first. And, if Vegas wins a playoff round this season, the 2025 third upgrades to a 2025 second.

Got it all? Let's assess Calgary's and Vegas' work here.

Golden Knights' side of the deal

One thing we've learned about the Golden Knights in their seven-year existence is that they're almost always pursuing the marquee name available.

Jack Eichel. Mark Stone. Alex Pietrangelo. Max Pacioretty. Robin Lehner.

And now Hanifin, the top defenseman on the trade market all season.

Vegas won the bidding war - like they always seem to do with trades and signings. As usual, general manager Kelly McCrimmon is using long-term injured reserve space to jam as much talent as possible onto the books. Make no mistake, the 33-22-7 Golden Knights aren't cheating. The NHL allows teams to operate this way. Vegas is simply exploiting the loophole better than others.

Hanifin, 27, is the type of player who doesn't wow with one or two elite skills. Instead, the Boston native gets above-average marks in virtually every category. He's a do-everything defenseman who'll inject quickness and puck-moving ability into a blue line that's mostly filled with defense-first guys.

Speaking of that defense corps, man, is it exceptionally deep. A new top pair of Hanifin and Pietrangelo. Alec Martinez (when he returns from injury) and Shea Theodore on the second pair. Some combination of Nicolas Hague, Brayden McNabb, and Zach Whitecloud on the third. Those are some massive dudes (four of seven guys, including Hanifin, are at least 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds), and they can work as a unit to grind teams down in the playoffs.

Vegas is trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champions and, on Wednesday, they didn't give up an NHLer to acquire a No. 2-caliber defenseman. I don't see a downside to this trade for them. And if Hanifin excels - and if he signs an extension between now and July 1 - this move will become a grand slam.

It's wild to think that, after picking up forward Anthony Mantha (for two picks) on Tuesday and Hanifin a day later, McCrimmon still has his first-rounder in 2024 to dangle in another trade ahead of Friday's 3 p.m. Eastern deadline.

Grade: A+

Flames' side of the deal

The Flames traded an impact defenseman having a career year offensively for a first-round pick, a minor-leaguer with NHL potential in Miromanov, and a third-rounder which, in all likelihood, will become a second come draft weekend.

That return is by no means terrible. But it feels ... slightly underwhelming.

Part of the reason it feels mediocre is because this isn't the first time Calgary GM Craig Conroy has opted for quantity over quality.

The recent Chris Tanev and Elias Lindholm return packages also lacked a player of significance. Sure, Miromanov has some promise, but his ceiling isn't super high. Same goes for Artem Grushnikov (Tanev trade). Hunter Brzustewicz (Lindholm trade) has the best chance of becoming a top-of-the-lineup player, but it's not as if he's one of the NHL's premier prospects.

How much of this can be chalked up to the Flames unloading former GM Brad Treliving's baggage at a bad time for sellers? How much of this is subpar negotiating by Conroy? How much of this is poor luck, with none of Lindholm, Tanev, and Hanifin signing an extension with their new club at the time of the trade, thus making them a pure rental?

Hard to say. It may be a perfect storm of all three issues.

Circling back on the Hanifin deal: the return would look markedly better if Miromanov was either a fully formed NHLer or a high-end prospect. A first, a third that may turn into a second, and a young player with serious upside? Oh yeah, that's a much better outcome. Miromanov, who signed a two-year extension with Calgary following the trade, may blossom into an everyday NHLer. He's right-handed, huge, and physical. But he's also already 26.

On a sunnier note, Conroy now has two first-round picks in 2024 and 2025.

Grade: B-

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Noah Hanifin saga is officially over.

The Calgary Flames sent the defenseman to the Vegas Golden Knights late Wednesday in a three-way trade looping in the Philadelphia Flyers.

Here are the high-level details:

The Flyers joined the party solely to retain a chunk of Hanifin's salary. Teams must send an asset back in retention trades, hence Vorobyov's inclusion. He's a 27-year-old Russian center currently playing in the KHL.

With the Flames also retaining, Hanifin, a pending unrestricted free agent, arrives in Vegas with a cap hit of $1.24 million (down from $4.95 million).

Both draft picks heading to Calgary have conditions attached. If the 2025 first is traded again this week, or if the pick's in the top 10, the Flames instead receive the Golden Knights' 2026 first. And, if Vegas wins a playoff round this season, the 2025 third upgrades to a 2025 second.

Got it all? Let's assess Calgary's and Vegas' work here.

Golden Knights' side of the deal

One thing we've learned about the Golden Knights in their seven-year existence is that they're almost always pursuing the marquee name available.

Jack Eichel. Mark Stone. Alex Pietrangelo. Max Pacioretty. Robin Lehner.

And now Hanifin, the top defenseman on the trade market all season.

Vegas won the bidding war - like they always seem to do with trades and signings. As usual, general manager Kelly McCrimmon is using long-term injured reserve space to jam as much talent as possible onto the books. Make no mistake, the 33-22-7 Golden Knights aren't cheating. The NHL allows teams to operate this way. Vegas is simply exploiting the loophole better than others.

Hanifin, 27, is the type of player who doesn't wow with one or two elite skills. Instead, the Boston native gets above-average marks in virtually every category. He's a do-everything defenseman who'll inject quickness and puck-moving ability into a blue line that's mostly filled with defense-first guys.

Speaking of that defense corps, man, is it exceptionally deep. A new top pair of Hanifin and Pietrangelo. Alec Martinez (when he returns from injury) and Shea Theodore on the second pair. Some combination of Nicolas Hague, Brayden McNabb, and Zach Whitecloud on the third. Those are some massive dudes (four of seven guys, including Hanifin, are at least 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds), and they can work as a unit to grind teams down in the playoffs.

Vegas is trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champions and, on Wednesday, they didn't give up an NHLer to acquire a No. 2-caliber defenseman. I don't see a downside to this trade for them. And if Hanifin excels - and if he signs an extension between now and July 1 - this move will become a grand slam.

It's wild to think that, after picking up forward Anthony Mantha (for two picks) on Tuesday and Hanifin a day later, McCrimmon still has his first-rounder in 2024 to dangle in another trade ahead of Friday's 3 p.m. Eastern deadline.

Grade: A+

Flames' side of the deal

The Flames traded an impact defenseman having a career year offensively for a first-round pick, a minor-leaguer with NHL potential in Miromanov, and a third-rounder which, in all likelihood, will become a second come draft weekend.

That return is by no means terrible. But it feels ... slightly underwhelming.

Part of the reason it feels mediocre is because this isn't the first time Calgary GM Craig Conroy has opted for quantity over quality.

The recent Chris Tanev and Elias Lindholm return packages also lacked a player of significance. Sure, Miromanov has some promise, but his ceiling isn't super high. Same goes for Artem Grushnikov (Tanev trade). Hunter Brzustewicz (Lindholm trade) has the best chance of becoming a top-of-the-lineup player, but it's not as if he's one of the NHL's premier prospects.

How much of this can be chalked up to the Flames unloading former GM Brad Treliving's baggage at a bad time for sellers? How much of this is subpar negotiating by Conroy? How much of this is poor luck, with none of Lindholm, Tanev, and Hanifin signing an extension with their new club at the time of the trade, thus making them a pure rental?

Hard to say. It may be a perfect storm of all three issues.

Circling back on the Hanifin deal: the return would look markedly better if Miromanov was either a fully formed NHLer or a high-end prospect. A first, a third that may turn into a second, and a young player with serious upside? Oh yeah, that's a much better outcome. Miromanov, who signed a two-year extension with Calgary following the trade, may blossom into an everyday NHLer. He's right-handed, huge, and physical. But he's also already 26.

On a sunnier note, Conroy now has two first-round picks in 2024 and 2025.

Grade: B-

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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With only two sleeps until the NHL trade deadline, we hope the fun is just beginning.

Unlike last year, when all the biggest moves came weeks before the deadline, there's still a lot to be decided by March 8 at 3 p.m. ET.

Here are five X-factors that could define this season's action.

Jacob Markstrom's future 🔥

Will he stay or will he go?

No, seriously. Does anyone know what the future holds for Markstrom at this point? It's been a lot. Let's recap all of the rumblings surrounding his status so far.

First, the New Jersey Devils apparently tried to acquire him from the Calgary Flames in February, but it didn't pan out because of some combination of retention and package disagreements. Markstrom has two years remaining on his current deal with a $6-million cap hit and will have some say over what ends up happening thanks to his full no-move clause (at this point, it is unclear if Markstrom has been asked to waive it).

Next, Markstrom took aim at the Flames' front office, expressing frustration with how it's handling his situation. Then, a rumor cropped up from Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli that Calgary president of hockey operations Don Maloney nixed a trade that would have sent Markstrom to New Jersey.

Got all that? Good. There's more.

The Devils reportedly took another run at acquiring the veteran netminder last week. And we can see why. Markstrom owns a .912 save percentage on the season while ranking 11th among all goalies in goals saved above average (9.09) and second in goals saved above expected (33.76). New Jersey is hunting for a goaltender like that. None of the three goalies the team has used this season - Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, and Nico Daws - own a positive value in either goals saved above average or goals saved above expected.

The Flames may package out Markstrom by the deadline, or they may wait until the offseason. If they do it sooner rather than later, though, they'd be gifting us with a juicy blockbuster of an in-season trade with playoff implications for both conferences. Markstrom would boost the Devils' chances of making the postseason in a crowded East, while his departure would be detrimental to the Flames' pursuit of a wild-card spot in the West.

GMs of (most) Canadian teams 🇨🇦

This deadline may just belong to teams north of the border.

Canadian squads have pulled off two of the biggest trades of the season so far. The Canucks brought in Elias Lindholm from the Flames - not to mention Nikita Zadorov in November, Patrik Allvin has been a busy bee - while Kevin Cheveldayoff added Sean Monahan to his Winnipeg Jets to kick off the Western Conference arms race. Allvin and Cheveldayoff probably aren't done adding, either, as both teams have performed far above expectations this season and have given their GMs a reason to go all-in.

Next, there's the Edmonton Oilers. After a catastrophic start to the season, they're back to looking like the Stanley Cup contenders we all believed they would be. Now, it's up to GM Ken Holland to reward his team's turnaround. Word is he's sniffing around for a forward and a defenseman, and with a little over $2 million in cap space at his disposal, it'll be interesting to see if he sticks to depth players or takes a big swing by moving some money out (we lean option No. 2).

We previously wrote that the Toronto Maple Leafs shouldn't be a major player on March 8 thanks to their middling play, but their recent winning run may have changed how they'll approach the deadline. Toronto is getting consistent goaltending, depth scoring, and improved defending, which must be grabbing the attention of GM Brad Treliving. The executive already scooped up Ilya Lyubushkin, and he cryptically said he'd have to be "as creative as possible" to address his team's other needs. How much is he willing to give up to aid the Leafs' winning ways? Ex-GM Kyle Dubas went all-in at the deadline last season, limiting the assets Treliving has to work with.

Finally, it seems like every opposing GM is licking his chops at the chance to strip the Flames for parts. GM Craig Conroy has already moved out Zadorov, Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Hanifin, but he owns another top deadline target in Markstrom. Admirably, Calgary still has a fighting chance to make the playoffs, even if it's a long shot at best. As a result, all eyes will be on Conroy. Is he going to trade away all his assets in the name of the future, or will he strike a balance to try and keep the Flames competitive for the rest of the season? Food for thought: When he was promoted to GM in May, Conroy was asked about letting Johnny Gaudreau walk as a UFA in 2022. His answer? "I don't think I would let that happen again."

Mark Stone's health 🤕

The bad news: The Vegas Golden Knights may be without injured captain Stone for the rest of the regular season - and maybe the playoffs as well.

The good news: With Stone on long-term injured reserve, GM Kelly McCrimmon now has an extra $9.5 million to bolster his squad at the deadline. He's already brought in Anthony Mantha (along with Noah Hanifin on defense), but is that all he's got up his sleeve? We highly doubt it.

Let's flash back to last season, shall we? Stone missed the second half of the campaign because of a back injury, allowing Vegas to scoop up Ivan Barbashev at the deadline. He proved an incredible fit on the Golden Knights' top line and was a key performer in the playoffs, earning himself a five-year extension in the process. Stone returned for Game 1 of the postseason and in no way seemed hampered by his injury, chipping in with 11 goals and 24 points to help Vegas win the Stanley Cup.

Whew, we're getting a sense of deja vu already.

Fully replacing Stone won't be an easy feat, but luckily for McCrimmon, there are some big names out there. Jake Guentzel ($6-million cap hit) is definitely the flashiest forward on the table. He won't come cheap (more on that later), but adding someone of his ilk would go a long way toward helping Vegas earn home-ice advantage in the playoffs. There are other options, though, like Devils winger Tyler Toffoli ($4.25-million cap hit) or St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich ($5.8-million cap hit).

Go on, McCrimmon, throw that money around. This is Sin City, after all.

Jake Guentzel's price tag (and Kyle Dubas' patience) 💰

"Price tag" means a couple different things in this instance.

First, there's the cost of acquiring Guentzel. GM Dubas expressed a desire for the Pittsburgh Penguins to get younger during his midseason address, and moving out Guentzel would likely be his best chance at accomplishing that goal in short order. The 29-year-old pending UFA is an attractive option for contenders looking to bolster their top-six forward group and will thus come at a cost. A big cost. As in multiple first-rounders or a first-round pick plus top prospects or roster players, though apparently Dubas prefers prospects over picks. Dubas gave up quite a bit to acquire stud defenseman Erik Karlsson last offseason - including his first-round pick in this summer's draft - so this could be a way to recoup some assets.

Next, there's what it'd cost to extend Guentzel and if teams will be allowed to discuss an extension before giving up a boatload of goodies to acquire him. That'd change the kinds of squads that could realistically add him. The Oilers, for example, have upcoming extensions for Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid to think about, not to mention Connor Brown's $3.225-million performance bonus eating into next season's cap. What Guentzel is looking for in his next deal isn't exactly clear, but he's surely due for a raise over his current $6-million cap hit, and there are rumblings that his camp turned down the Penguins' offer of a six-year extension worth around $50 million. Further complicating things is Guentzel's 12-team no-trade list. Any squad willing to pay up, though, will be getting a proven winger who has twice cracked the 40-goal mark.

Dubas has preached a certain level of patience with the Penguins in the past given their pedigree, but as he said, Pittsburgh is "running out of time" to prove itself this season. If the executive allows his patience to run out, he just might be able to give his team a brighter future at the deadline.

Julien BriseBois' aggression (and wallet) ⚡

The Tampa Bay Lightning are missing an $8.5-million man on their blue line because of Mikhail Sergachev's truly devastating leg injury.

Wait ... do you hear that?

By god, that's BriseBois' music.

The Bolts GM is no stranger to being aggressive at this time of the year. He's moved out a grand total of six first-round picks over the last four trade deadlines. As a result, the Lightning's next selection in the first round won't come until 2026: They sent their 2024 first-rounder to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the Brandon Hagel trade, while their 2025 first-rounder went to the Nashville Predators in the Tanner Jeannot swap.

That Jeannot deal, in particular, was downright hefty, seeing as BriseBois also sent out his 2024 second-round pick (not to mention THREE picks in 2023) to scoop up the forward. Because of the executive's recent in-your-face deadline strategy, the Lightning ranked 29th during The Athletic's most recent prospect pool rankings. Simply speaking, Tampa Bay doesn't have a wealth of attractive future assets to spend this deadline, meaning it'll be difficult for BriseBois to add an impactful piece to his aging squad despite his new-found cap space.

However, we've learned never to doubt BriseBois' ability to be active at the trade deadline. We can't see a realistic path for him to add an impact blue-liner, especially after missing out on Hanifin (whose preferred destination was reportedly Tampa Bay). But we don't know what sort of tricks the GM has up his sleeve. BriseBois may need to plan his greatest trick yet to make the Bolts more relevant come playoff time.

(Analytics sources: Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)

(Salary figures: CapFriendly)

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It's Overrated/Underrated on Canucks Central as Dan and Sat debate whether topics such as flipping Elias Lindholm, the Avalanche after today's trades, and more are overrated or underrated.

This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil has been suspended three games for boarding Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.

Pospisil was issued a five-minute major and ejected for the collision in the Flames' 4-2 loss on Monday.

Dunn left the game and didn't return. He missed the Kraken's 4-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday due to an undisclosed injury as a result of the play.

Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol called the hit "garbage" when speaking to reporters after the game, courtesy of Emerald City Hockey.

"You're gonna run around like that, you probably need to answer when somebody comes at you man-to-man, and that didn't happen, either. So from there, I'll leave it to the league," Hakstol said.

Pospisil delivered a hard check on Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson early in the contest as well.

The 24-year-old has six goals and 15 points in 45 games this season as a rookie. He hadn't previously been fined or suspended in the NHL.

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